Las Leñas tunnel studies set to start

The first studies for the construction of the US$1.6bn Las Leñas tunnel on the Chile-Argentina border will start in the coming months in order to have the results available by 2020, the latter's Mendoza province said in a statement.

In July, the governments of Chile and Argentina agreed that the first studies phase, which involves geological diagnosis, a conceptual study and an environmental impact study, would be financed by the Chilean side.

The Argentine side is currently seeking funding from international agencies, such as IDB, to finance the demand analysis and business model studies.

As for the engineering studies, Chile will finance the first half of them and Argentina the second, with costs split equally.

The project entails building a 13km road tunnel connecting O'Higgins region in central Chile with Mendoza province. Works also include another 13km of new road on the Chilean side of the border and 60km on the Argentine side.

The tunnel will be an alternative to the Cristo Redentor border pass, which accounts for 70% of crossings between the two countries but is regularly blocked by snow in winter.